150. Arrival (End of Tianhuan Arc)
Swoosh——!
The golden dragon suddenly unfurled its magnificent wings, creating a spectacular golden storm in space. It raised its head high, and in the next moment, burning ravens, fierce white wolves, icy serpents, and a mighty black tortoise appeared, bowing to surround the dragon monk's towering form. In the cold, empty void of space, they stirred a massive elemental wave.
Li Aozi was swept by the wave, but instead of being harmed, he felt lighter, as if his Omega Energy had become limitless.
[Notice: You are within an element-rich zone; your Omega Energy is now considered 'infinite'.]
This golden dragon has such a noble heart, Li Aozi thought, amazed. He was already the center of attention, enduring the enemy's bombardment while opening up a domain for everyone.
Truly worthy of being a golden dragon. I wish my players could learn some of that selflessness.
Li Aozi pushed forward at full throttle. He still carried the negative status effect, and once his Omega Energy was fully sealed, even [Li Aozi's Armor] wouldn't hold up. He had to find a teleportation node and escape quickly.
Empowered by the golden dragon's domain, the Crystal Spire's fleet's firepower skyrocketed. Various magic beams and mysterious crystals burst forth as the mages chanted, causing magical elements to resonate and ripple through the vacuum of space. Ferocious, majestic cosmic beasts tore through space rifts, launching an assault on the Night Butterfly Federation.
The Night Butterfly Federation was overwhelmed, but with the war at this stage, they had no choice but to push forward. A high-ranking commander gave the order, and the mothership orbiting the star deployed a ring formation, quickly drawing solar flares and energy from the scorching star, targeting the Crystal Spire's main forces.
In the next instant, the vibrant, magical warships abruptly ceased fire. Their resplendent hulls seemed to be draped in a black veil, gradually dimming until they vanished into the starry void.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's a collapse cannon!" Li Aozi's pupils shrank, and he quickly recorded the scene using the forum's video function.
He knew both civilizations were fierce, but he hadn't expected them to break out a collapse cannon, an interstellar-banned weapon.
The collapse cannon fires without warning or indication. It's an inductive weapon that forces the matter it hits to self-collapse until it's compressed into primordial particles.
This weapon is banned mainly because it attracts the attention of lower societies. To them, the appearance of vast amounts of primordial particles is glaringly obvious, as if a new civilization suddenly appeared in the universe.
This could cause massive trouble, like throwing fresh meat into a pond filled with piranhas, inviting a feeding frenzy.
Large, collective societies are some of the most dangerous entities in the universe, so widespread use of collapse cannons is strictly forbidden by the Galactic Treaty.
After recording the second round of fire, Li Aozi accelerated. If he didn't escape now, he'd likely be hunted down by the Night Butterfly Federation for witnessing this atrocity, only to be shot in the back multiple times and die a 'suicide.'
"This is huge! Looks like I'm about to make a fortune again."
Li Aozi was well aware of how he'd made his fortune—this kind of firsthand threat intel could be sold for a tidy sum after he obtained his interstellar citizenship. He could sell it to the press for some pocket money or report it to a narrative-level civilization for a reward. [Heroes Empire] loved to intervene in such matters.
Or there was another option...
Li Aozi weaved through the battlefield, bypassing the combat zone, and dove into the rear of the Crystal Spire fleet. Activating [Eye of Truth], he quickly located his target—a circular structure nestled in an asteroid field, made of a mysterious, bronze-like material etched with ancient, glowing symbols. Faint blue energy swirled within the ring.
"TP-190111, that's the one!"
This was an ancient teleportation node left behind by the gods during the ancient era. It allowed for instant travel between star systems, far faster and easier than any spacecraft. However, after eons of neglect, no one knew exactly where these nodes would lead anymore.
Unlike standard stargates and warp drives, teleportation nodes are two-way, though their effects vary. Some species are too physically weak, and using the same node repeatedly within a short time would cause severe strain on their bodies.
Especially since Li Aozi wasn't yet considered a true cosmic being—he'd probably have to stay on the other side for half a year.
It'd be the perfect time to get his interstellar citizenship sorted out, and perhaps he could pursue a [Architect] secondary profession there. His players would love it.
Li Aozi began to decelerate. It took him hours to bring his speed down, and he cautiously navigated the asteroid fragments. The process was long, and his Omega Energy abilities like [King's Gambit], [Eye of Truth], [Mountain Armor], [Natural Ignition], and [Death Link] had all been sealed, but Li Aozi wasn't worried. With one ability being disabled every twenty minutes, [Li Aozi's Armor] would last for quite some time.
He knew where this node led—it was a fascinating planet.
For safety, he lingered outside the node for a while, carefully scanning for any Void energy leaks to avoid Void contamination.
Once he confirmed everything was safe, Li Aozi stepped into the node. His body was enveloped in pale blue energy and disassembled into particles.
Moments later, Li Aozi's vision brightened. He raised his hand, feeling the warmth of sunlight pouring into his eyes. His lungs quivered slightly, taking time to adjust to the air, rich with high-energy particles.
His final core Omega ability, [Gravity], was sealed, and with that, [Li Aozi's Armor] collapsed, no longer able to maintain his [Dominate All] form. He returned to his normal appearance and surveyed his surroundings.
Broken ruins, overgrown vines, and crumbling stone statues teeming with three-headed, chattering birds. Li Aozi carefully placed down the bio-pod, leaning it against its heavily damaged metal shell—even with the protection of [Gravity] and [Pegasus Strength], the pod had sustained serious damage. He needed to check on the passengers inside quickly.
He opened the hatch, but there were no players. Li Aozi had the nagging feeling he had forgotten something. He turned around, took a few steps, and suddenly felt a cold little head rest on his shoulder.
"Where are we?"
A gentle spring breeze lifted her cloak, and her pale, withered hair fluttered. Yavanna clung tightly to Li Aozi's arm, whispering softly in his ear:
"I've never seen such a beautiful world, Mr. Li Aozi."
Li Aozi turned to meet her gaze.
Her eyes had changed.
Once gemstone-like and emerald green, her eyes were now pure white, crisscrossed with web-like threads.
"Yavanna?" Li Aozi asked. "Care to explain?"
"There's nothing surprising about me. Right now, I just want to hear you speak," Yavanna replied, pulling her cloak closer. For some reason, she seemed more insecure than before.
"You've changed so much..."
"It doesn't matter what I become." Yavanna found a rock and slowly sat down. "You go ahead and tell me about this place, Mr. Li Aozi."
She folded her hands neatly on her lap, her pale, withered hair swaying in the wind, resembling strands of spider silk.
Spider... shark?
Li Aozi didn't know why, but the thought suddenly popped into his mind. Maybe it was because [White Knight] Yuhlay also had animalistic features.
But that was probably just a coincidence. If Yavanna had joined the Hidden Society, she'd be dead set on killing him to avenge the tribunal.
Not only had she not sought revenge, but she had also followed him all the way here. She'd had plenty of chances to kill him along the way—there was no need to wait until now to make a move.
Since she didn't want to talk about herself, Li Aozi didn't push the issue.
"This is a planet under the Crystal Spire civilization, called White Candle Star. It's known for its advanced educational industry, with many relics from ancient civilizations and abundant magical resources."
Li Aozi continued:
"To put it simply, this is a university planet."